Apparatus for generating acetylene gas.



N0. 684,50I. Patented Oct. l5, I90l. A

F. C. FAXUN.

APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AGETYLENE GAS.

(Application filed Jan. 21, 1899.)

(No Model.)

2 Sheets--Sheet I.

A 7% l II In- B a R :3 em I A No. 684,50I. Patentd 001. I5, |90

F. c. FAXON.

APPARATUS FOR GENERATING ACETY'LENE GAS.

(A mieimdn filed Jan. 21, 1899. (No Model.)

2 Sheets-8heet 2.

UNITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

FRANK C. FAXON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE PACIFIC ACETYLENE GAS COMPANY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

APPARATUS FOR GENERATING ACETYLENE GAS.

SPECIFIC {HON forming .part of Letters Patent No. 684,501, dated October 15, 1901. Application filed January 21, 1899. Serial No. 702,958. (No model.)

To all whom it may COM/067":

Be it known that I, FRANK CLAYBURNE FAXON, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city and county of San Francisco, in the State of California, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for Generating, Cooling, and Drying Acetylene Gas, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a practical machine that will work automatically and generate cool dry acetylene gas in large quantities and which may be used with or without a gasometer. I have endeavored to combine simplicity and utility. I have found the art covered by a great many pats cuts; but many of the devices were onlysufficient for generating a small quantity of acetylene gas at a time. Of all the machines intended to generate large quantities of gas none that I have seen are entirely practical.

I claim for my invention that it is simple, automatically regulates the quantity of gas generated and the rapidity of generation to correspond to the consumption, and that it produces a cool, dry, and pure gas ready for immediate use.

. In the accompanying drawings,which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the entire machine, showing the generator in section and part of the side and end of the cooler broken away. Fig. 2 is an end View of the generatorand cooler with the generator door open, exhibiting a drawer within the generator and a wire basket which hangs in the drawer. Part of the end of the drawer is broken away. Fig. 3 is a detailed view of a spray-pipe, showing a cross-section and a side elevation with part of the side broken away. It also shows a section of a nipple connected with the spray-pipe. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail of a Waterout-Oif diaphragrn distended and in section. Fig. 5 shows the way several generators may be coupled together and connected with one cooler. This construction is used in the larger plants.

Throughout the drawings similar numerals and lettersof reference refer to similar parts. Speaking generally, the acetylene-gas machine which I have invented consists of a generator A, containing a drawer B and a wire basket B hung in said drawer for the purpose of holding carbid of calcium, a spraypipe C, running within said generator above the drawer and basket, a gas-cooling drum D, with a pipe E connecting the generator and the cooler, an automatic water-cut-oif device on said pipe which operates to cut off the supply of water to the generator when the pressure of gas exceeds a predetermined limit, a gas-cut-off device connected with said cooler D, which is also worked automatically by the pressure of gas, and a water-tank l and a pipe G, which carries water from said tank to the spray-pipe C in the generator A.

The generator A consists of a long galvanized-iron cylinder ordrum lying horizontally and. having a stationary head A at one end and a. hinged head A at the other end. The stationary head is made either of castorgalvanized iron, as desired, and is bolted or riveted gas-tight to one end of said cylinder. There is an annular flange A around the other end of the cylinder, which flange has a short arm A projecting horizontally outward from its lower part and another short arm A similarly projecting from its top part. To the outer end of the lower arm A is hinged one end of a steel bar A by means of a bolt A which passes through said arm A and through said bar A. The bar A is as long as the diameter of the generator plus the width of the upper and lower arms, so that when it is swung upward its upper end is as high as the top of said upper arm A The hinged head or door A which closes the open end of the generator, is a piano-convex head, cast circular, with its convex side inward. Said head A has two lugs A which extend from its plane side in such a manner that the bar A fits snugly between them, and these lugs are fastened to the middle point of said bar A by a bolt A, which passes through them and through it. A U-shaped catch A adapted to receive the upper end of the bar A is hinged to the upper arm A by a bolt A ,which passes through said arm and through the ends of said U shaped catch. Said ends fit one on either side of said arm. lVhen the bar A is raised, the head A is raised with it, so as to entirely close the end of the generator that is not provided with a stationary head, the catch A is swung down over the upper end of the bar A and the screw A which passes through the outer or loop end of the catch A and points inward, is tightened, thereby forcing bar A and consequently the head A into position and completely closing the open end of the generator.

The generator contains a sheet-iron drawer B and a wire basket 13 which holds the carbid of calcium. The wire basket is hung in the drawer, as hereinafter described. The drawer B is a little more than a half-cylinder and is so constructed as to fit easily within the generator A. It is made a little shorter than the inside of the generator, so as to permit the gas to pass between its back end and the permanent head A of the generator and also to allow room between front end and the generatordoor A for a handle B which is fastened to the front end of said drawer. This handle B is for the convenience of a person in removing said drawer when it is necessary to recharge it with carbid and in replacing it when full.

The basket B which holds the carbid, is made of black iron wires. It consists of several longitudinal wires and several wires which run around these long wires and hold them in position. The number of each set of wires is determined by the size of the basket. The longitudinal wires at the bottom of the basketare about an inch apart, and those near the top are a little wider apart. This is to allow the slaked carbid to fall through. A wire runs across the top of each end of said basket, and wires run down from this latter wire to the cross-wire, which is at each end of the basket, thus forming an end for said basket, as shown in Fig. 2. Several hooks B are provided on each side of said basket and so situated that they hook over the edge of the drawer and support said basket, keeping its bottom twoor threeinches above theinnersur face of the bottom of the drawer, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This space between the bottom of the basket and the drawer is to receive the slaked carbid as it'falls down between the wires.

A spray-pipe 0 (shown in detail in Fig. 3) is fastened within the generator to the permanent generator-head A and projects forward toward the open end of said generator above the drawer B and the basket B This pipe 0 is made of galvanized iron and is triangular in its cross-section. It is formed by bending up the sides to the proper shape and soldering the edges together. There is a row of holes 0 about two inches apart in the bottom edge of said triangular spray-pipe, as shown in Fig. 3, and when the generator is in operation the water flows through them and sprays upon the carbid in the basket beneath. A short round pipe (J is soldered to the end of said spray-pipe 0 next to the permanent generator-head A, and the other end of the spray-pipe is also made round and covered by a cap 0 which is screwed to it. The little piece of round pipe 0 fits tightly within a nipple O fastened within the generatorhead A. The hole in the nipple G in which the round pipe C fits, is made flaring, so that said pipe will easily enter it, and by simply pushing it in said hole it becomes perfectly tight. The round pipe 0 is practically the inner end of the spray-pipe 0.

If the permanent generator-head A is made of cast-iron, the nipple (3 is fastened in it by screw-threads on the outside of said nipple, that engage similar screw-threads on the inside of a hole in said permanent generatorhead A. There is a flange C on said nipple, which when the nipple is screwed into said generator-head A fits closely against the outside of said head, and thus makes the connection air'tight. If the generator-head A is made of sheet-iron, as shown in Fig. 3, it is necessary to provide a flange or nut C on the inside of said generator-head A for the nipple O to screw into, because the galvanized iron is too thin to securely engage said scre w-threads on the outside of said nipple C The reasons for having the spray-pipe simply slipped in the nipple O and for having the cap 0 screwed upon the outer end of the spray-pipe are that the pipe may be easily taken out and swabbed clean whenever the little perforations become clogged with the impurities in the water. The object of hav ing the spray-pipe 0 made triangular is that a person replacing it after having cleaned it, as before described, will have no difficulty in determining what part of it should be turned downward. If it were shaped otherwise, this might be difficult, because the generator is long and dark inside. A water-cock G (of any desired design) is screwed onto the outer end of said nipple C and the water-pipe G is screwed into the other end of said water-cock. The water-cock G shown in Fig. l is a globevalve and that shown in Fig. 3 is a conical valve.

The waterpi pe G leads from the water-tank F, which is located above the generator A, to the nipple C and conveys the water from said tank into the spray-pipe G, from whence it is allowed to spray u pon the carbid. A checkvalve G is provided in said pipe G and is so arranged as to prevent the gas from forcing its way back through the spray-pipe C and the pipe G into the tank F. A cut-off valve G is also placed in the pipe G and is provided with a long lever-handle G the operation of which is described hereinafter.

The water-tank Fis made ofany suitable material, and its size is determined by the size of the generator. It is adjusted to hold just enough waterto consume the carbid in the basket B and when the water has been allused out of it the person operating the machine is thereby informed that the generator needs to be recharged with carbid. The tank F maybe supplied with water from any suitable source, as from the pipe F A gas-pipe E is connected with the generator, passes through the lower part of the permanent generator-head A, and conducts the gas to the cooler D below. Near the generator-head A this pipe is provided with a coupling E to enable a person to more easily connect its different parts, and a little farther from said head A it has a check-valve E so arranged as to prevent the gas from flowing back from the cooler to the generator. Still farther in the course of said pipe E is a crosscoupling E the cross being perpendicular, as shown in Fig. 1. The pipe E from the generator is connected with the left opening of said cross-coupling, and the continuation of said pipe E is connected with the bottom opening of the coupling and conveys the gas down into the cooler D. A pipe E", which is connected with the right opening of the crosscoupling E extends a few inches to the right and is provided with a gage E. On the right end of this pipe E is a blow-oft valve E". In the top opening of the cross connection E is connected a short pipe E and the upper end of the pipe 3. is connected with the under side of a cast-iron bowl H.

The bowl H and its connected parts are shown in detail in Fig. 4. Their purpose is to operate the water-cutbff valve G The bowl is about three inches deep, and its edge consists of a flange H which projects outward. A rubber diaphragm H (shown distended in Fig. 4:) is fitted over the top of the bowl H, so that the edge of the rubber is even with the edge of the bowl at all points, and the rubber is firmly clamped in its position by a metal ring H that is bolted to the flange H of the bowl below. A metal guide H is bolted to the top of the ring H and curves upward and above the bowl H, so that a hole in the upper end of said guide is directly above the center of the diaphragm H A rod H passes through this hole in the guide H and extends downward to the diaphragm H and upward to the lever G Atits lower end this rod screws into a washer H and the washer rests upon the rubber diaphragm. At its upper end a pin H passes through it and through a slot G in the outer end of said lever G which is attached to the water-cutoff valve G as already described. A weight HT is fastened to the rod H"'between the guide 1-1 and the lever G for the purpose of keeping said rod and the diaphragm beneath it normally down.

When the pressure of gas in the pipe E gets too high,it operates to distend the diaphragm, as shown in Fig. 4. This raises the rod H",and the rod in turn raises the outer end of the lever G and shuts off the water-supply to the generator, thus stopping the generation of gas until the pressure is relieved. The weight ll forces the rod H and the lever G down as soon as the gas has been sufficientlydrawn off and the pressure reduced, and thus the water is again turned on.

After the gas leaves the generator it passes through the pipe E into a purifier and cooler D, located below the generator. This cooler is a galvanized iron drum, considerably longer than the generator, as is shown in Fig. 1. The end of the cooler beneath the open end of the generator has aclosed head. The other end has a flange D which projects outward,and on itis clamped a rubber diaphragm J by a ring D in a similar manner that the ring H clamps the diaphragm H upon the bowl H. within the cooler D a few inches from the end covered with the diaphragm J by bolts D which pass through a flange D, that runs around the circumference of said partition and through the shell of said cooler. It is located between said diaphragm J and the point where the pipe E enters the cooler, thus allowing the gas from the generator to enter the main body of the cooler. A nipple D screws into a hole near the top of the partition D and through this nipple the gas passes from the main chamber of the cooler D into the compartment between said partition and the diaphragm J.

A gas-cut-off valve J is attached to the end of the nipple D next to the diaphragm J and is operated by a lever J which projects downward to a point about opposite to the center of the diaphragm J. A rod J connects with the lower end of this lever J passes through the center of said diaphragm J, and through a hole in guide J Guide J is a piece of iron bolted at each end to diametrically opposite points on the ring D and bows outward, so as to guide to the outer end of the rod J and to allow the diaphragm J to distend outwardly. The rod J is secured to the center of the diaphragm J (through which it passes) by lock-nuts J. A wire spring J 7 is placed around said rod J", so as press upon the guide J 5 and the outer locknut J and keep the diaphragm J normally not distended, the rod-J pressed inward, and the gas-cut-off valve J open.

The gas is supplied to the burners through the service-pipe D connected to the lower part of the cooler within the compartment embraced between the partition D and the diaphragm J.

The gas is cooled and purified in the cooler D by being conducted by the pipe E down into water which about half fills said cooler and by being allowed to percolatc or bubble up through it. All steam in the gas is thus condensed, and the other impurities with which gas coming direct from the generator is burdened are deposited in the water, and we have a cool, pure, and dry gas. The water can be introduced into the cooler through an opening in it supper side, which is stopped by the plug D The floating impurities can be drawn off through the faucet D, which is locateda little below the waterline in the closed end of the cooler D. The remainder of the water and the heavier impurities are drawn oif through the drain-cock An iron partition D is fastened D which drain-cock is situated in the bottom of the cooler D.

Both the cooler D and the generator Aare supported by the same set of legs K, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The legs are made of wrought-iron and bent so as to conform to the shape of the cooler and passing upward form a support for the generator. The two front legs (and likewise the two back legs) are steadied and clamped together by bolts K which pass through said legs beneath the cooler, and also by bolts K which pass through them between the cooler D and the generator A. A cross-rod K connects and braces the front legs with the back legs by being fastened to their respective bolts K Fig. 5 is a modification of myinvention (showing a larger machine than in Fig. 1)

having more than one generator connected with one cooler. In this construction I find it most convenient to have the cooler placed beneath and at right angles to the generators. There may be any number of generators, according to the size of the machine, connected with one cooler, and they may be arranged with relation to one another and the cooler in any convenient way.

My invention operates as follows: The carbid of calcium is placed in the basket B and the generator-door A is closed and locked by the bar A and the catch A The water is then turned on from the tank F and runs through the pipe G and the spray-pipe C down upon the carbid, whereupon acetylene gas is immediately generated. The gas then passes back of the rear end of the drawer B and down through the pipe E into the drier and cooler I). When the gas is generated, it is hot and full of impurities, such as steam and particles of carbid. These are all allowed to settle in the purifier and cooler D, and the gas passes out through the nipple D and thence down into the service-pipe D and to the burners. The water being turned on at full force, the gas is usually generated faster than it is consumed. Accordingly the pressure increases in the generator and cooler and connected pipes until the diaphragm J becomes distended, and thus shuts off the supply of gas through the gasc'ut-off valve J This confines the gas within the cooler, generator, and pipe E, which connects them. Then the pressure of gas on the under side of the diaphragm H distends it, and so closes the valve G and cuts ofi the supply of water to the generator and stops the generation of gas. As soon as the pressure of gas in the service-pipe and in the small compartment of the cooler becomes reduced the diaphragm J resumes its normal position, opens the valve J and relieves the pressure of gas in the cooler, and consequently upon the diaphragm H This latter diaphragm then resumes its normal position, the valve G is opened, and the generation of gas is recommenced. In practice the diaphragms keep vibrating, thus slackening or increasing the generation, and seldom is it necessary to entirely shut off the water-supply.

One of the chief merits of my invention is that I maintain the gas at a uniform pressure, and it is not necessary to use a gasometer; nor is it necessary for a person to be constantlyin attendance upon it, because the diaphragms and parts connected with them Work entirely automatically.

Although the drawings show a machine capable of being used without a gasometer, it can be used with one. In this event the diaphragms and parts particularly connected with them are done away with, and the water-supply cock may be operated by the rise and fall of the inner tank of the gasometer, and although the drawings show the cooler D partially filled with water it will operate to produce a reasonably dry, cool, and pure gas if the water is omitted, because the cooler is spacious and of itself affords a large cooling surface for the gas.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In an apparatus of the kind described, the combination of a generator, a water supply, a cut-off valve therefor, a tank communicating with the generator and compriscommunicating therewith, a diaphragm actuated by gas-pressure in said tank, connec tion from said diaphragm to said out off valve, a valve controlling said communication between the tank-chamber and compartment, a diaphragm actuated by gas-pressure in said compartment, connections from said diaphragm to said last-mentioned valve, and a gas-pipe from said compartment, substantially as described.

2. In an acetylene-gas apparatus,-the combination of a generator containing the gas-producing material, a pipe leading into the same for'supplying liquid, a cut-off. valve in said pipe, a cooling-tank, a pipe leading from the generator to the cooling-tank, a cross connection for said pipe intermediate the generator and the cooling-tank,an inflatable diaphragm on one member of said cross connection, connecting means between said diaphragm and cut-off valve, and a blow-off valve also connected with another member of said cross connection, substantially as set forth.

3. In an apparatus of the kind described, a generator having a nipple in one of its ends and a perforated spray-pipe triangular in cross-section removably held in said nipple, substantially as described.

4:. In an apparatus of the kind described, a generator having a triangular spray-pipe provided with holes in its bottom edge, and means to removably secure said pipe in position within said generator, substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus of the kind described, a generator having a triangular perforated .ing a main chamber and a compartment IIO spray-pipe with a round end and a nipple with a flaring hole adapted to receive the round end of said pipe, substantially as described.

6. The herein-described spray-pipe having the triangular body with holes in its bottom edge, the round extension at one end, a nipple having a smooth bore into which said round extension is slipped, and the removable cap at its other end, substantially as described.

7. An apparatus of the kind described comprising a generator containing gas-producing material, a water-pipe discharging into the same, a cut-off valve in said water-pipe, a cooler receiving the gas from said generator, means actuated by the gas operating to open and close said cut-off valve according to the pressure in said cooler, an inflatable diaphragm secured to one end of the cooler and separated from the body of the same by a partition, a pipe passing through said partition and discharging the gas in the space comprised between it and said diaphragm, a service-pipe drawing gas from said space, a cut-off valve in the partition-pipe, a lever attached to the latter-named valve, and a suitably-guided spring-pressed rod attached to the diaphragm and pivotally connected to said lever, substantially as described.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a generator, a water-supply, a cut-01f valve therefor, a tank communicating with said generator comprising a main chamber and a compartment communicating therewith, a device actuated by the gas-pressure in said tank, connection from said device to said cut-oft valve, a valve controlling said communication between said tank-chamber and said compartment, a diaphragm actuated by gas pressure in said compartment, connection from said diaphragm to said last-mentioned valve, and a gas-pipe from said compartment, substantially as de= scribed.

Signed by me at San Francisco, California,- this 9th day of January, 1899.

FRANK o. FAXON. [n 8.]

Witnessesi PERCY W. ROCHESTER, A. H. STE. MARIE. 

